Apparatus for the treatment of hydrocarbons



L. 's. GREGORY April 23, 1940.

I v APPARATUS FOR THE TREATMENT OF HYDROCARBO NS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed; Oct. 1;, 19:7

INVENTOR LON S. GREGORY HM,M3HM

A TTORNEY S.

Patented Apr. 23, 1940 APPARATUS ron THE TREATMENT or HYDROCARBONS Lon s. Grelory, 'rulsa, olrla assignor to mumps Petroleum Company, a corporation oi Delaware Application October 11, 1937, Serial No. 168,480 1Claim. 01. 196-119 This invention relates to the treatment of hydrocarbon oils, and more particularly to ap' 'paratus for carryingout catalytic treatment of I the type in which hydrocarbon oils are contacted I with catalysts.

Schulze and Buell in their Patent No. 2,016,271 describe a process for converting suli'ur compounds such as mercaptans to hydrogen sulfide by passing hydrocarbon vapors containing or- 10 ganic sulfur impurities over a bauxite catalyst at temperatures of BOO-750 F. The hydrogen sulfide is" then removed from the vapors.

Miller, 'Henriksenand Zurcher, in their Patent No. 1,895,081 disclose desuliurization and reforming to improve the anti-knock properties of hydrocarbon oils by passing said oils in vapor phase over certain catalysts of the clay type at elevated temperatures of from 600-1500 F.

v'I'hese catalytic processes are examples of the a type process in the practice of which this inven-' tion finds its application, although it is to be understood that the invention is generally applicable to the treatment of hydrocarbons at elevated temperatures, with solid catalysts. 95 An-object of this invention is to provide apparatus for carrying out catalytic treating processes. A further object of the present invention is the provision of apparatus for catalytic treatment 30 of hydrocarbons in which the catalyst may be revivified in situ, when spent, without interruption of the treating operation.

Another object of this invention is the provision oi apparatus for the catalytic treatment of 35 petroleum oils which will utilize heat supplied thereto in an economical and efiicient "manner. Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following description. 40 In the accompanying drawings, iorminga part of this specification, and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same:

Figure 1 is a plan view in section of one form of 4,5 apparatus embodying the present invention,

Figure 2 is an elevation in section of the apparatus shown in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view illustratin'g'the invention as applied in a catalytic treating operation.

Figure 4 is-a detached sectional view or one of the reaction tubes employed in the apparatus of the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, wherein there is 5 shown a preferred embodiment ,oi the present invention, there is illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 end walls and side walls l0 and H respectively, which define a furnace l2 suitably enclosed as by a roof supported in any conventional manner. Spaced headers l3 and I4 are interconnected by a plurality of tubes i5 joined to the headers by joints l6, and forming a bank of reaction tubes,

\ generally indicated by the letter A. A similar bank of reaction tubes, generally indicated by the letter B, comprises spaced headers l3 and l4 interconnected by a plurality of reagent tubes l5 joined to the headersby' joints it. Each of the reagent tube banks ismounted on either side of the central portion of the furnace i2, supported by the furnace walls 10 and II and sitf uated at an angle to the horizontal which conveniently may be the angle of repose of the,

particular catalyst with which the tubes are filled. While it is preferred. that the tubes be placed at an angle to. the horizontal, the invention is not intended to be limited thereby.

Centrally mounted in the furnace I2, between the reagent tube banks and preferably adjacent thereto, is a group of heater tubes l'l interconnected as by return bends l8 thus forming a heater coil generally indicated at C which is supported in any convenient manner as by the side walls it.

Baflies l9 are centrally located in the furnace l2 and extend from the floor 20 to a point ad- 0 jacent each side 01 the heater coil C thus forming intercommunicating chambers 23, 23 and 23" in which burners, diagrammatically illustrated, indicated by the numerals 2|, 22 and 22', respectively, are located. The furnace I2 is placed in communication with stacks 24 and 24' by fines 25 and 25' in each of the chambers 23 and 23.". v I

Referring more particularly to Figure 4, there is shown a sectional enlarged view of a portion of a reaction tube; each joint l6, l6 has ma screen 26 mounted therein which serves to main- 1 tain the catalyst in place in the tubes l5 and I5.

This catalyst may consist of any solid catalyst material employed in processes to which the present invention is applicable. For example, if the apparatus is to be used in a desuliurization process it may comprise any of the catalysts of the f clay type, such as iullers earth, or it may comprise bauidte, or catalyst mounted on solid carru ers, which may be inert or may exert catalytic action themselvesyall of which will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

The operation of 1 the apparatus of this invention will best be understood by reference to the flow diagram shown in Figure 3, in which the apparatusof. the present invention is diagrammatically shown in place in one type of treating plant.

Hydrocarbon vapors to be treated are taken from the fractio'nator 50 through line 5| to clay tower 52, wherein they are subjected to the conventional clay treating process for the removal of unstable color and gum forming constituents.

Any other conventional treatment may be employed, or none at all if the vapors are comparatively free of gum forming components. From tower 52 the vapors are passed through line 53 to heat exchanger 54 wherein heat is' imparted from .vaporsleaving the treating process. The vapors are now passed through the line 55 and the heater tubes H to line 56, which interconnects the reaction tube banks A and B with the heater coil 0 and is provided with control valves 51 and 58 which may be opened and closed to direct the vapors from the heatercoil H. to a selected bank of reaction tubes. Thus-with valve 5'! closed and valve 58 open, the vapors will pass through line 56 to header l3, reaction tubes I5, header M to line v59 (valves 10 and 69 being closed) and valve 60 to heat exchanger 54 wherein part of their heat is given up to the vapors entering the heat exchanger through line 53.

When bank A. is operating as the treating unit, valve 60' will of course be closed. From heat exchanger 54, the vapors may be taken out of the system or they may be passed through line 6i to clay towers 62 wherein they maybe treated for the removal of any coloror gum forming impurities produced during the treating operation and thence out of the system to a cooler and condenser not shown. I

As the catalyst in bank A becomes spent the vapors from the heater coil C will be diverted to bank B by closing valve and opening valve 51, the vapors then passing through header I3,

64, respectively, to the line 65, Where they will be mixed and passed through line 65, valve 66, line 61, to header l3, reaction tubes l5 and header l4, line 68 and valve 69 to stack 24. Valves!!! and 66 will be closed during this operation. After regeneration of the spent catalyst, bank A will act as a standby unit until bank B has become spent, whereupon air and steam entering through line 65 will be diverted through line 65' by closing valve 66 and opening valve 66', the

, air and steam then passing through line 61', header l3, reagent tubes l5, header l4 and line 68 controlled by valve69 tostack 24'. In this manner, it will be apparent 'that the treating operation may be carried on continuously with regeneration of the spent catalyst in one bank while treating with the other.

Referring more particularly to Figure 2, the method of heatingthe heater tubes and/or reaction tubes, which is afeature of the present invention, may be varied considerably with the burner and tube arrangement shown. With the burners 2| operating and draft taken only from the stack 24, the heatertubes will be heated by convection and radiation, the bank of reaction tubes A by convection, and the other bank B will not be heated. With the burners 2| operating and with draft from both stacks 2 4- and 24', the heater. tubes will be heated by radiation,

and convection and both banks of reaction tubes -will be'heated by convection. With the burners 2| and either of the bumers 22 or ,22' under the reaction tubes operating with draft taken to the stack 24' or 24, respectively, one bank of reaction tubes and the heater tubes will be heated by radiation and convection and the other bank by convection alone, or if the draft is taken from the stack adjacent the burner 22 or 22, which ever is operated, that bank of reaction tubes above that particular burner, and the heater tubes will be heated by both radiant and convection heat While the other reagent'bank will not be heated. As a further altemative, all burners may be operated and both stacks used, in which case both reaction banks and the heater tubes will be heated by both radiation and convection. It will be apparent that by this arrangement great variation in the degree oif heating of the vapors and reaction tube banks may easily be obtained. This provision adapts the treating apparatus toa wide range of treating ent catalysts are used and difierent results desired. For instance, if it is desired merely to convert the organic sulfur compounds to hydrogen sulfide lower temperatures are employed than when continued desuifurization and treatment to increase the anti-knock characteristics of the hydrocarbons being treated is to be accomplished.

- conditions which is highly desirable when difier- I It is to be understood that the form of the present invention, herewith shown and described,

is to be taken as a preferred embodiment of the same, and that various changes. in shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to,

without departing from the spirit of the invention, or the scope of the subjoined claim.

Having thus described my invention, I claim: In an apparatus for catalytic treatment of hydrocarbons in vapor state, the combination comprising a furnace having three compartments, a'

burner in a first compartment, the other two compartments being connected to the first compartment for transfer of heat by convection, heat exchange means in the first compartment arranged to receive radiant heat from the burner,

a pair of headers in each of the other compartments, catalyst tubes connecting'the headers,

one header in each compartment having connection with one end of the heat exchanger, a

valve in the connection, a treated vapor line connected to the other headers, valve means between the other headers and the treated vapor line, steam and air lines connected to one of the headers in each of the other compartments, burnout lines connected to the'other headers, and

.valve means between the last mentioned lines and the catalyst containers.

LON s. GREGORY; 

